Word: kwangju
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Former South Korean Presidents Chun Doo Hwan and Roh Tae Woo were already in jail on corruption charges; last week the two ex-generals were indicted for treason in connection with the 1980 "Kwangju massacre," in which hundreds of demonstrators were killed. They could face the death penalty...
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the uprising in Kwangju, where police killed 200 antigovernment demonstrators. Despite elaborate security measures, renewed demonstrations in Seoul and Kwangju are likely. Most South Koreans are more interested in solving the country's economic ills than in joining the students in the streets. But Roh must convince them that the government is serious about dealing with those problems. Otherwise social unrest could bring a crackdown on dissent and stall progress toward democratization...
...that followed his retirement in early 1988. Appearing before a special panel of the National Assembly, Chun, 58, accepted "moral responsibility" for the excesses of his seven-year rule. But members of the opposition exploded in protest when Chun denied responsibility for the 1980 deaths of 200 demonstrators in Kwangju and argued that the army had rightfully fired on a crowd. One legislator dashed to the witness stand, grabbed Chun by the arm and shouted, "Murderer...